Home » NurseLife » 3 Myths About Male Nurses You’re Probably Tired Of Hearing

3 Myths About Male Nurses You’re Probably Tired Of Hearing

Updated on
By Rozzette Cabrera, R.N.

Women and society aren’t the only ones troubled with the issues of inequality. In fact, even nurses face the same concerns, particularly male nurses. And this discrimination doesn’t only come from other people, but they can also originate from your own family.

Myth #1: Male nurses are gay.

While there are homosexual nurses, it doesn’t mean that all men who enter the profession are gay. In fact, some male nurses even end up marrying their female co-nurses.

Nope. Not all nurses are gay.
Nope. Not all nurses are gay.

“When I told my parents that I’ll be taking up nursing, they were lost for words. They literally sat me down in the living room, looked straight into my eyes and asked if I was gay. They even told me it’s perfectly fine if I come out. I nearly burst out into laughter,” a 3-year ER nurse shared.

Men are considered strong and firm while nursing is widely considered as a caring and gentle profession. Because they are on the other end of the spectrum, men who aspire to be nurses are often believed to be more on the feminine side.

Fact: The truth, however, is that although men are considered strong, it doesn’t always mean that they’re up for tough jobs. Some men become nurses because of the flexibility of the work and the different subspecialties they can take.

Myth #2: Men aren’t compassionate enough.

“I was once refused by my patient. She thought I was not competent or even compassionate enough to care for her so she asked my supervisor if she can have a female nurse assigned to her instead. It was a tough blow to my ego but my supervisor stood up for me and declined the request. I was her nurse throughout her hospitalization and she actually preferred to have a male nurse instead! A nurse is a nurse, after all!” a nurse shared.

Fact: Male nurses get into nursing for the exact same reasons why female nurses want the job and that is to care for their patients. Compassion has nothing to do with a person’s gender but with the ability of a person to put others above himself. Men are compassionate beings, whether they are nurses, policemen or teachers.

Myth #3: Male nurses don’t get hired as much as female nurses

“In this hospital, there is actually almost an equal number of female and male nurses. Gender isn’t really a factor when we hire nurses. We look more on their competencies, skills, and attitude when we screen them,” a private hospital chief nurse shared.

Male nurses have an advantage over women because of their physical strength.
Male nurses have an advantage over women because of their physical strength.

Fact: Some facilities actually favor male nurses more because of their strength and physique. They can lift patients easier than women can. Male nurses can also provide stronger support when it comes to assisting patients in the bathroom and whenever they need to be turned.

Nursing is a physically exhausting job and men, being stronger, are exactly what hospitals need to help ensure their patients’ safety and comfort. Male nurses are also task-oriented and interested in challenges which make them very suitable to handle trauma and critical cases.

What other male nurse myths have you heard? How do you feel about them?

Male Nurses Nursing Infographic
Male Nurses Nursing Infographic
Rozzette Cabrera is a registered nurse pursuing her childhood dream of becoming a professional writer. She spent a few years putting her profession into practice until she decided to take her chances with freelance writing over a year ago. Her life has never been the same since then.

1 thought on “3 Myths About Male Nurses You’re Probably Tired Of Hearing”

  1. I appreciate your write up on male nurses. I have personally experienced many of these myths and gender biases. I am annoyed that “Some facilities actually favor male nurses more because of their strength and physique.” I am not certain if this statement is true, but if it were, shows gender bias within the nursing field.

    Shame on anyone who believe men should do more physical labor in nursing than their female colleagues simply because of their chromosome. We are all nurses and we should all be treated equally.

    Additionally, your statement that “Male nurses are also task-oriented and interested in challenges which make them very suitable to handle trauma and critical cases” is a stereotype. As if to say male nurses are just knuckle dragging apes that simply do what they are told? Why would you think that differentiating nursing gender this way would ever be appropriate. Males and females can be task-oriented and MOST nurses that i have experienced are simply task do-ers and lack the ability to critically think, despite our nursing theory to do.

    We should strive to be more than automatons, simply “doing” the tasks written by our physician colleagues. We are nurses, not robots. We are nurses, not beasts of burden. Be more than the stereotype that is portrayed, teach the world that nurses are intelligent, compassionate, critical thinkers that have their own philosophy and practice outside of medicine.

    -Joe

    Reply

Leave a Comment


Share to...